As if life didnt suck enough
by MyLittleGlassReflection
Summary: Jake Baker was always a happy child. Now, two years later, everything has changed and he has a big secret. What happens when Mike discovers this secret? Will he keep Jake's secret even though its harmful to Jake, and will he ever be happy again? CHAPTER 6
1. Chapter 1

_**DISCLAIMER : I dont own anything affiliated with cheaper by the dozen. **_

Jake Baker was always a happy child. Sure when they moved away from Midland he had a bit of an attitude, all of the kids developed a bit of a grudge, but that was just a phase. Two years later, everything had changed. He was still happy on the outside, but on the inside it was the complete opposite. His family doesnt tend to give him much attention, what with him having 11 siblings and being the middle child. He barely had any friends, none that he could actually count on, and he's in a very dark place in his life.

Jake sat on the bathroom floor, listening to the racket that is inevitably there everyday. Razor in one hand, towel in the other he takes a deep breathe. A tear streams down his face as he presses the sharp object to his skin gliding it across his inside arm. Slowly but surely a river of crimson liquid floats to the surface and drops down his arm forming a micro sized pool of blood on the cold tile. Jake couldn't believe it actually came to this. 5 months ago his life seemed perfect, how can everything change so fast? He had countless scars on both his right and left arms. He wasnt sure how much longer he could get away with it, summer was approaching and wearing longsleeves was soon going to be unbearable. Nobody knew what he did to himself, nor did he want anyone to. It wasnt that he cared what people thought, he just felt as if it was just his. If somebody found out, it would no longer solely belong to him. He liked having atleast this one thing to himself completely. He had to share everything else, he didnt even have his own room.

"Jake are you still in there?",he heard Mike ask. "Just a second!" he replied back , raising his voice a little more than he would have liked to. "Did you fall in again, you've been in there forever." ,_trip on your rollerblades and land in the toilet one time during a hockey match and your branded for life_, thought Jake. He thought back to that day, a few weeks after they left Midland. He remembered smiling and being happy, truely happy. That day was also the day Mike discovered his undeniable skill for repelling off the roof. Jake still smiled just at the thought of Mike hanging yelling at the top of his lungs as he hung upside down. They were always the closest out of the siblings. A loud bang yanked him out of the memory, by the screams it sounded like Sarah knocked over Lorraine's makeup kit with her lacross stick. _Never a peaceful moment in this hell house_, he quickly rinsed off his new wound and shoved the razor back into his pocket where it belonged. As he swiftly turned the corner towards his room he bumped into Henry "HEY! WATCH OUT!" shouted Henry, "Sorry dude", Jake replied. Henry's attitude really wasnt a surprise he had been moody that whole day, ever since Jessica threw his clarinet out the window after apparently hearing enough of him practicing; truth was, he sucked. Jake grabbed his walkman and shuffled over to his bed. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the music.

_Cemetary break the stone_

_Mom was right shoulda stayed at home_

_Seems like all the good old days are gone_

_Back and forth and side to side_

_A lonely boy, a man's disquise_

_Another silhouette against the sky_

_Over come the obstacle of animosity_

_Take me to my old back yard, security and family_

He started to think of old memories again and a montague of family picnics, apple schmeare, summer vacations flashed in his head. He thought of the christmas he got his skateboard, he had refused to come inside even after he had skinned both his knees,an elbow, and bloodied his lip. He thought of just 7 months earlier when he plugged in his first guitar, and when he and Mike put frogs in their principals desk. They had gotten in a lot of trouble for that prank but the look on Mr. Krisby's face was more than worth it. He chucked out loud, and it sort of startled him. He couldn't really remember the last time he even half laughed.

_When all is said and all is done_

_Im not the only one_

_When all is said and all is done_

_Take it all for granted_

_I don't mind its all been handed down to me_

_But i'll give it back someday_

_Once upon a tale_

_Began on a television_

_Now i watch it slowly spin away_

Jake slowly fell asleep with his headphones still blasting the sounds of Catch 22. He had successfully made it through another day, and that was enough to satisfy him for the moment.

_**Reviews and suggestions are always appreciated. The lyrics used in this chapter are Alone In a Crowd by Catch 22. Hope you enjoy it.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: Again, i dont own ANYTHING affiliated with cheaper by the dozen! **_

_**Thanks so much to my reviewers. Im glad you liked the first chapter and hope you like this one just as much!**_

When Jake finally opened his eyes it was 6:00 a.m., he assumed his mom turned off his walkman since it was now sitting peacefully on his dresser. Henry was still sleeping in the bed across from his, snoring loudly. The Baker house, while always insane, was a bit more so this morning. Jake, curious as to what all the screaming was about, headed down the stairs, dragging his feet. When he got to the kitchen he found Mike and Kim biting each other's heads off. Jake, deciding it was way too early for all this bickering, grabbed the back of Mike's t-shirt and dragged him out of the room, with him fighting him the whole way. "Dude, whats going on?" asked Jake. "I'm sick of Kim calling me an airhead just because i play hockey. Everyone already knows shes some sort of genius, she doesn't have to flaunt it", Mike practically yelled."Mike, tell me i didnt get myself out of bed at 7:00 on a perfectly good saturday because Kim called you an airhead", "No, she won't give me my hockey puck either, and my other one is still stuck on the roof". "Well thats a different story", Jake exclaimed. He walked back into the kitchen and saw Kim talking to Sarah. "Kim, give me Mike's hockey puck", "No I-" Kim started to react but saw Jake's obvious aggrivation and handed it over. He gave it to Mike and stomped back up to his room,grabbed his skateboard and headed back downstairs and out the door. He went to the only place he felt free, the skatepark. He got there and was about to jump into action when he got distracted by a group of teenage guys sitting under a tree. It took a while but eventually they realized that they were not the only ones at the park. "Hey kid, what are you doing here", one said menacingly. "Skating, last time i checked thats what this place was for", replied Jake. "What you just say boy?", shouted a tall black boy standing up. This kid was about 15, and he had his greasy hair in cornrows. He smiled deviously revealing a gold tooth. Jake had turned into a pretty tough kid over the past couple years, but still felt threatened. He didn't care though, he wasn't about to punk out now, no matter what the odds were. "You heard me", he stated flatly. He turned around to leave, the whole magic of that place was that he was never bothered there, but that wasn't the case today. Apparently,however, the gang was missing a thug. So when Jake turned around instead of being able to jump onto his skateboard and escape the confrontation, he ran into a short, white boy. He really was short, shorter than Jake, but he had a very intimidating look. He wore all black, including a folded black bandana around his forehead. He looked strong,and had a scar on his face that was scary all on its own."Trying to escape were ya?" he spat. Jake tried to talk back but before he got a chance to speak he felt something hit his nose, hard. The punch knocked him off balance and he fell to the ground. The rest of the gang used this as an opportunity to gang up on him. The black kid straddled him and hit him repeatedly. The rest of the guys stood around him taking turns kicking him. Jake started to cough up blood and slowly saw his vision blur. Then, he went unconscious.

Jake woke up laying face up in the grass. His head was pounding and he ached all over. He found his skateboard and was extremely surprised when he found it was perfectly fine, then he reminded himself that the guys who jumped him weren't exactly the smartest bunch. He skated home, and was incredibly disappointed when he ran into Charlie. "Jake! What happened to you?" he exclaimed worriedly. "NOTHING! IM FINE! ITS NOT LIKE YOU CARE ANYWAY!" screamed Jake. He pushed Charlie out of the way and ran into the bathroom. He examined himself in the mirror. He had a black eye and his lip was swollen, he was still bleeding from where he got a blow to the nose. He bent down to get some toilet paper to absorb the blood but quickly shot back up. A surge of pain went through his abdomin area. He took off his shirt and saw that he was black and blue on both sides of his ribs, he also has bruises on his stomach. He dreaded seeing his mom, knowing there was no possible way he could hide his face injuries. He fell to his knees, and reached into his pocket, producing his razor once again. After he cleaned his new cut he pressed himself against the cold tile floor and cried.

_**I know this chapter is short but i promise the next one will be much, much longer. Please keep those reviews coming. Much love.  
**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: Once again i do not own Cheaper by the Dozen or anything affiliated with it. Just this story.**_

_**Thanks for all the reviews, im glad you guys are enjoying this so far. Keep 'em coming.**_

Mike Baker heard Jake scream at Charlie and run into the bathroom, slamming the door. He didn't voice it, but had been worried about his brother lately. For the most part he acted the same, but he knew he was pretending. Mike could always tell when something wasn't right with Jake. He wasn't sure what the fight with Charlie was about, but he knew it couldn't be good. What did Charlie mean "What happened to you?", and if it was serious why hadn't he told their mom yet? So many questions flooded Mike's young mind. _I can't just sit by and watch the brother that i know slip away, i have to help Jake_, he thought to himself, he was determined. He decided to try and talk to him later, when noone else was around, he knew it would be hard with 13 people living in the house but he was sure the right time would come. He just hoped he would know when that time was.

------

Jake felt bad for snapping at Charlie, but he wasn't going to apologize. He knew he would just ask again, and he wasn't sure if he could avoid the question for a second time. So he spent the rest of that night in his room. He wished he could hide there until all the bruises were gone, both the physical and emotional ones. He was sure to go to sleep early so that when Henry went to bed he wouldn't have to deal with him yet. Although he knew it was coming, he was dreading it, so he wasn't exactly thrilled to see Henry the next morning. "Hey man, what happened yesterday..." Henry started as he walked over to Jake who was laying in bed with his headphones on, "i didn't see you a-...What happened to you?" he exclaimed. "Uh...um... i fell off my skateboard",Jake stammered. "Oh must have been a real bad fall to leave that much damage, you alright?", "Yeah,man,i'm fine". _Wow i didn't know he was that gullible, maybe i shouldn't have lied to him, but i just didnt want him to worry, oh yeah what a great brother i am _Jake spent the next few minutes mentally arguing with himself, forgetting Henry was standing in front of him. "Alright,man if you're sure you're fine, im gonna go downstairs", "What?..Oh right okay",Jake replied. Henry hesitated a moment but eventually left the room. Jake took a deep breathe and followed him, knowing he would be having that discussion quite a lot today.

------

"WHATS UP WITH YOUR FACE", screeched Nigel and Kyle as Jake walked into the kitchen._ Here we go_, "Oh my gosh, Jake!" Kate ran over to him at about 65 miles per hour, or it seemed like it anyway. "Mom, im fine, i promise","I don't know hon, maybe we should take you to the doctor and have him look at you". "Come on,Mom,it was just a skateboarding accident, and other than the black and blues im fine", "Alright, but if you feel any extreme pain, let me know".Jake nodded, he looked around and noticed that the whole family had witnessed that conversation, maybe he wouldn't be asked again he thought, or hoped rather.

------

Mike heard it, but he wasn't sure if he believed it. Something about the way Jake was avoiding eye contact with their mom. He shook it off , figuring it was just his mind messing with him. Maybe he _was_ overreacting, and maybe Jake was just going through another phase. Mike decided he would put off talking to him for awhile, if anything just until everything calmed down. But he did miss hanging out with him. "Wanna play hockey later?" he asked Jake. Kate Baker gave Mike a stern look, she had just replaced the lamp they destroyed last time they played in the house. "... Outside", he added. Jake wanted to, but he wasn't sure he could handle it until he healed a little bit. "Maybe in a few days, when i'm not so sore" Mike mentally hit himself, of course he couldn't play hockey, he was all knocked up. He would just have to think of something else.

------

The whole family sat down to eat breakfast, even Nora came by this morning. Thankfully his mom had explained to her what happened to Jake, and he didnt have to. Jake could feel people looking at him. He didn't like everyone glancing at him with worried looks every 10 seconds. Maybe it wasn't worry on there faces, maybe it was disgust, Jake thought. They didn't pay any attention to him normally, so why should they all of a sudden care? Because they felt they had to? He wasn't anybody's charity case. After 10 minutes,and about 40 stolen glances from the people surrounding him, he couldn't take it anymore. He closed his eyes and stood up. "I know my face is screwed up and all right now, but do you guys think you could stop looking at me? If you find me that gross maybe i'll eat in my room today", Jake said with a bit of sarcasm and a lot of attitude. His siblings looked down avoiding eye contact with him _and_ each other.They knew they were guilty. Tom Baker stood up and locked eyes with Jake. "First of all, we aren't disgusted by your appearance..." he started but was interrupted by Mike, "I'm sorry, Jake." he said, simple enough. Jake broke eyes with his dad and locked they with Mike. He saw nothing but sincerity. He knew he was really sorry. Jake nodded and gave Mike a look that told him he knew he meant it.Tom started again, "I think we're all sorry, but we just care about you. At this, Jake rolled his eyes and sucked his teeth at this remark. "Please, you didn't care about me when i wasn't hurt, and you don't care about me now. You're just saying all this to shut me up.With the exception of Mike, noone ever pays attention to me anymore. Curse of the middle child. Well, i dont care anymore, screw you", he said loudly. They he ran up to his room and locked his door. Tom ran after him and knocked on his door. "Jake, you get back down here and apologize, now!", "NO!" Jake screamed, so loud that everyone downstairs heard it. Tom started to scream back but he realized he just had to let him calm down. "Well...if you want to talk..." "Whatever. Just go away" Jake said quietly. Tom walked downstairs slowly and back to the table. He didn't have to say anything, they all knew what was up. "You know",mike said,"He was right". After that he ran upstairs too, but instead of going to Jake's room he went to his own. He felt helpless, he wanted to help Jake so bad but he couldn't. Tears fell from his eyes, he didn't even know he was crying. He layed down and fell asleep.

_**Honest opinions and and suggestions are always appreciated. Again, thanks to my reviewers. Much love.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER : still don't own cheaper by the dozen.**

**To Srivania : Sorry but im not planning on this being a romance fic. You never know though, so keep reading :)**

**To the rest of my reviewers : Thank you for reading, and thanks for the compliments.**

_Mike stood shaking,scared. He was in a labyrinth, and it was dark. He couldn't see anything. He ran as fast as he could turning corner after corner, and each time coming to a dead end. He made it back to the center of the maze and saw Jake standing about 60 feet in front of him. He was facing towards him,"JAKE!",he screamed. Jake didn't hear him, he walked away from him and around a corner,deeper into the mess of walkways. Mike ran after him, but when he went around the corner he wasn't there. Jake was nowhere to be found. He looked all around but still nothing, "Jake?...JAKE! WHERE ARE YOU? Please dont leave me here by myself, Jake, PLEASE!", he panicked. In a flash he was no longer in the center of the labyrinth, but hanging off the side of a mountain. Jake suddenly appeared and walked over to where Mike was hanging. Mike screamed at him, begging him to pull him up, but it was as if Jake couldn't hear a word he was saying. He just stood there, staring at him, his eyes emotionless. His fingers began to slip, he couldn't hold on anymore. "JAAAAAAAKE!" he screamed as he fell. He was 2 feet from hitting the bottom where a pile of spikey rocks sat..._

Mike woke up in a pool of sweat. He sat up in his bed, almost paralyzed. He had had nightmares before, but nothing like this. Jessica and Kim once had told him that all nightmares symbolized the dreamer's fears. Was he scared of Jake ignoring him? No, that wasn't it, Jake had always listened to him. The dream temporarily let him feel like Jake was feeling everyday, like he was invisible.

---- ----

Jake layed in bed awake. He couldn't get to sleep tonight, he kept reliving breakfast over and over again. He meant every word he had said. He heard a light tapping at his door, he knew it was Mike. They often woke each other up in the middle of the night when they couldn't sleep

He remembered last Christmas Eve when he woke up Mike because he was too excited to sleep. They had walked downstairs and saw there were many more presents under the tree than when they had went to bed. They sat there and shook every single present under that tree, guessing what they were. Then, they ate milk and cookies until they heard their dad upstairs, he was sleep walking. They had gotten upstairs and into their rooms just in time before their mom ran out of her room to wake him up

Jake got out of his bed and quietly slipped out of his door, careful not to wake up Henry. "Can't sleep",he whispered,Mike nodded,"Me either". They went into Mike's game and started playing videogames. "Jake, are you okay?", "Yeah, i told you, it was just a skateboarding accident", Jake replied assuming he was meaning his bruises. "Thats not what i meant, i mean are-well-you haven't been yourself lately.",Mike stammered. Jake stayed quiet. He didn't know what to say. "Uh, yeah. Im good.".. "But if something changes...",Mike started, "I'll let you know", said Jake finishing Mike's sentence. About 10 minutes later Jake said he was tired and went to bed. Mike was tired too so he set aside all his thoughts and went to bed as well.

---- ----

Jake was in bed, but still awake. Had Mike noticed his depression? Would he find out about him cutting himself? Jake was worried,not for him, for Mike. If Mike discovered Jake's self harm would he be able to handle it? He was really young, and Jake was scared he might blame it on himself. He would have to make sure that Mike knew not about his habits. He couldn't let that happen to him. Of course the obvious solution was to quit, but Jake wasn't willing to give it up. It was the only thing helping him get through his dark days. His lonely thoughts haunted him every second of every day, and it was starting to get overwhelming. Some kids at his school were on drugs to ease the pain, but Jake knew that was wrong. He knew what he was doing was wrong too, but atleast he couldn't have a stroke, or die from overdose. One day a goth kid at his school had offered him cocaine, and was curious but refused. Now he wondered what it would be like, if it really did let you let go of your problems, if only for a little while. He snapped himself out of it,no way in hell would he resort to narcotics, no way. His eyes sagged,and he drifted off to sleep. When he was asleep the only thing that could hurt him were his dreams, not that they weren't enough.

**Sorry it took a little while. I hope you liked it. Reviews would be nice :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer : As always i do NOT OWN cheaper by the dozen, any of the characters, or the grass they walk on.**

**So thanks for ALL the fabulous reviews. I love all of ya. They are always appreciated!**

It was 5:30 am, Kate sat on the couch staring at nothing imparticular. Soon the twelve Baker kids would be waking up for school and her peaceful morning would be no more, so she was taking this opportunity to think about some things. Number one on her list was Jake. She ran the situation over and over in her head. "Stays in room. Lashes out. Sleeps alot" she would say repeatedly to herself. The first thing she thought was drugs, but he was always at home, other than school, "and its not like kids walk around with marajuana in their pockets at school right", she thought. "That couldn't be it", she wanted more time, she needed more time, to think about this. But before she knew it, it was 6:15 and 8 kids came shuffling down the hall. Jake,Mike,Henry, and Charlie were still sleeping. Charlie had graduated highschool but he was going to college, although his first class luckily for him didn't start until 10:30. She always needed to wake Henry considering he usually ended up pulling the alarm clock out of the wall because it won't stop ringing (shocker huh),causing Jake to stay sleeping with nothing to wake him up. Mike was a late sleeper too but she only had to wake him up once and he got right up. She stood up and hiked up the stairs preparing to start her morning rounds.

Jake heard the alarm clock, he heard Henry yank the cord out of the wall and throw the clock to the other side of the room, and he heard his mom's voice nearing his door. "Jake,Henry, wake up!" ... he didn't move. "Mike wake up", he heard his mom call and walk down stairs, around 5 minutes later he heard mike run out of his room. "Jake! Henry! NOW!" his mom screamed from downstairs. "Go make sure they're up" she instructed Mike.."I'll do it" grinned Sarah, holding her lacrosse stick. "No, i don't think we need anymore injuries this week", Kate warned. Jake had fallen asleep and he didn't notice that his sleeve was rolled up with his arm hanging off the bed. Mike trudged up the stairs and banged on the boys' door. "Come... On...Guys" Mike said still hitting the door with his fists. Why was he still knocking he asked himself. He turned the door handle and started to run towards Jake's bed but stopped cold,horrified by what he saw. Multiple scratches on his brother's arm. No, not scratches, cuts, deep cuts. Jake rustled in his sleep and he was whipped out of shock. "J-Ja-Jake...Henry wake up" he stumbled on his words. Jake finally sat up and looked at Mike, "Dude, whats wrong, you look like you've just seen a ghost", Jake mumbled. "Yeah, you're face is all pale, Henry chimed in. "If you aren't ready to leave soon you might get left behind, so hurry up", Mike said gloomily. He turned around slowly and wandered into the kitchen where everyone was finishing breakfast and getting ready to leave for school. Sarah,Jake,and Mark were in middle school, Henry was a freshman in highschool, while Lorraine was a senior. Everyone else, besides Charlie, were in elementary. Mike was in fourth while Sarah and Kim were in fifth. Pretty soon they were all on their way to school, most of them happy.

Jake sat in homeroom room not paying attention to a word Mr.Melene was saying. He hated having math first period, he hated math period. He tried desperately to keep his eyes open while the teacher droned on and on about fractions and decimals. Jake was flunking that class, but his parents didn't know. He had mastered the art of forging his dad's signature the year before and signed all the notes his teacher sent home with him. When the bell rang Jake wasn't happy or sad. He didn't have feel any particular emotion at all. He was on his way to second period thinking about how much he didn't want to go, and how much he wanted things to be how they used to, and how much he knew that they would never be. He felt his eyes water, and he couldn't be seen crying. He ran into the closest bathroom and into a stall, throwing his belongings to the floor. So he would be a few (or maybe more than a few) minutes late, it was better than his entire class seeing him weak. Everyone thought he was tough,sad,but tough. One day not too long ago he had overheard some kid refer to him as "that emo dude". He wasn't sure if he liked that. He wasn't sure if he cared. He dug his hand into his pocket feeling for the sharp metal object he craved, but it was empty. He panicked and dropped to his knees, searching frantically through his backpack. He knew it wasn't in there, but he was desperate. Finally, he found a protractor. The one that had belonged to Nora, before they made the childproof ones with the plastic covers. Suddenly, hand me down school supplies didn't seem so bad. He yanked up his sleeve and gasped as he watched the blood trickle to the surface. He sighed in relief and sank into a sitting position, holding his knees. He knew he was at risk of being caught skipping but he didn't go to class. He sat on the filthy floor until second period was over. He didn't like the idea of calling his parents, but he liked the idea of staying at school even less. He went to the nurse's office complaining of a headache and had his mom pick him up. The ride home was quiet, too quiet. Kate hated hte awkward silence, "Jake,honey, are you feeling better" she asked sweetly, "No", Jake replied simply. He pretended to fall asleep so he wouldn't have to engage in small talk with his mother any longer.

When they got home Jake went straight to his room. He used the two and a half hours of alone time to sleep.

**Ah, sorry guys! I know it took quite awhile to get the fifth chapter up but i've been busy with school and what not. I'll try to get chapter 6 up quickly. Remember to always review as it makes the author (namely me) extremely happy ;) **


	6. Chapter 6

_**Hey everybody. I know its been a very very very very long time since i've updated. Truth is, i gave up on this story. But I've decided to pick it back up and i promise you won't have to go this long without and update again. Keep reading there are still alot of surprises left. **_

_**Disclaimer: Nothing to do with cheaper by the dozen belongs to me. But Blaise, Rusty, and Sid? Yeah. They're all mine.**_

**_A special thanks to the people who kept reading and reviewing. Especially MariaMomentz who inspired me to pick this story up again. Not enough from me. Enjoy, and keep reviewing._**

_**Warning : For underrage drinking in this chapter. And probably a few more to come.**_

Three days later, and things were worse. Jake couldn't sleep, he hadn't eaten, he had dark circles under his eyes that never seemed to fade. Now everyone was noticing the changes in their relative. Henry decided it was his turn to try and snap him out of...whatever he needed snapping out of..

"Um..Jake?" Henry walked over to his room mates bed, where Jake was sitting lifelessly staring out the window at nothing. He didn't answer, so Henry tried again.

"Jake?"

"Yes?" Jake answered impatiently, not turning away from the window.

"Are you.. Um. Are you stoned?"

"WHAT?" Henry flinched. Jake hadn't meant to snap, but he was appalled at the thought that his brother suspected that he was on drugs.

"Well. It's just that you never do anything anymore. You're always locked up in your room, our room, and I'm tired of walking on eggshells around you".

"I'm not stoned, Henry, and I am _oh so sorry _if i'm _inconviencing_ you in _any_ way," Jake scoffed.

"Forget it! I was just trying to get THROUGH to you! You're so damn selfish, can't you see the toll you're taking on this family? Everyone's worried, and yet you don't give a shit. If I could move out I would!" Henry yelled.

"WHY CAN'T YOU, huh? Go. I don't need you. I don't _need_ ANYBODY, and just in case you were wondering, asking someone if they're on DRUGS, is NOT a good way to, how'd you put it, oh _'get through_'to somebody."

Henry stormed out of the room, leaving Jake by himself again, he was getting quite used it. He could hear Henry having a fit downstairs, explaining to their parents how unreasonable he was being. Suddenly an earthquake erupted, or it felt like one anyway.

"Thats it! Family meeting!... _NOW_!" Their dad, Tom, roared.

Jake didn't move. He didn't feel like part of the family anymore, and he didn't feel like getting yelled at today.

"THAT MEANS YOU TOO JAKE! LIKE IT OR NOT YOU ARE _STILL_ PART OF THIS FAMILY, AND YOU _WILL_ ATTEND FAMILY MEETINGS!" came the angry voice from downstairs once more.

Jake sighed, but drug himself off his bed and downstairs, where the rest of the Baker clan was waiting, seemingly annoyed, for his arrival.

"Sit", his father said sternly. Jake plopped down on the couch next to Mike.

"Now, what happened with you and Jake? he asked Henry.

"Well, I was trying to figure out what's wrong with Jake.." He started.

"YOU ASKED ME IF I WAS ON DRUGS!" Jake screamed.

"And.." Tom asked. "Are you?"

"WHAT IS WITH THIS FAMILY? IM NOT HAPPY, THEREFORE I MUST BE A FUCKING STONER? DONT YOU KNOW ME BETTER THAN THAT?"

_Of course not_, Jake thought to himself, _they don't know anything about me, they never did_.

"Watch your mouth, young man!" Tom scolded.

"Whatever."

There was an awkward silence. The silence was threatening, waiting for someone to break it. That someone was Henry.

"I don't want to share a room with him anymore." He said quietly, but stern.

"Maybe you could move in with Mike." Tom suggested.

Kate spoke up for the first time, "I don't think that would be such a good idea" she said.

Everyone looked at her, urging her to continue.

"I don't think we should let Jake alone, he's alone too much as it is, and it just can't be healthy."

"Jesus Christ", Jake groaned.

"Henry can have my room," Mike said. "I'll move in with Jake."

"My own room? Alright!"

"I don't see any problem with that arrangement" Tom said. "Kate?"

"I think that would probably be best."

"So it's settled. Mike,Henry,start packing."

Mike and Henry quickly ran upstairs to gather their things, and move into their new rooms. The rest of the kids filed out, all of them except Jake. As he got up to leave, Kate pointed to the couch firmly, obviously ordering him to take his seat once again.

"Jake..", she started.

"Save it." he interrupted.

Before any sort of arguement could form, Jake took off upstairs. Mike was moving his things into what was his and Henry's room just 10 minutes earlier. He didn't really mind, except for Henry didn't pay much attention to him. He knew Mike would be keeping a close eye on him, and even though he was convinced no body truly loved him, he liked that Mike atleast pretended to care. But he also knew that this meant he couldn't get away with alot of things he could while sharing a room with Henry. No matter how hard he tried to not give a shit about anybody, that little kid seemed to swarm into his thoughts. It made him remember that there might be one person who he loved, his younger brother, who had always been there for him. He constantly beat himself up about not being a better big brother to him. He was supposed to be looking out for him, and he wasn't. He would promise himself that he'd stop being a jerk to Mike, and then he would break it. He didn't want to bring Mike into his slump, but he couldn't find it in him to bring himself out of it either. Jake's thoughts were interrupted by the screeches of a bed being dragged across the wooden floor. Henry huffed and puffed as he pushed it across the hall and into Mike's room. Jake knew that Mike couldn't move his own bed, and that Henry would be too consumed in making plans for his new room to help him. So he waited for Mike to ask him for help, and wasn't let down.

"Hey Jake? Can you help me with this?" Mike called from his former bedroom.

"Yeah, just a sec", he answered.

"Thanks!" He sounded surprised.

Jake hopped off his bed and moved Mike's bed into his room. The rest of the day went by rather fast. He couldn't believe that Henry and Mike managed to switch rooms completely by nightfall. So far, he was pleased with his new room mate, and Mike liked it better than being in a room by himself. He enjoyed the company, even if their wasn't much talking going on.

That night not much was said. Mike had gone to sleep early, so even if Jake wanted to talk to him, he couldn't. It was Monday morning, and Jake was currently contemplating every excuse on the planet to convince his parents to let him stay home from school, but eventually decided he should just suck it up and get out of bed. He quickly got dressed and ran downstairs, but instead of stopping at the breakfast table like the rest of his family,he grabbed his skateboard and headed to school. He got there just as the bell was ringing, he knew he should've gotten a ride with the other kids. Since driving was much faster than skateboarding, his siblings got to school before him. As he walked into his first class and every head in the room turned to see who was late, he could tell it was going to be a very long day. By the time the last bell rang, Jake was fed up with the world. There was two pop quizzes which he undeniably failed, he tripped and fell on his face in the lunch hall, and he realized he'd forgotten to do his math homework, which led to him receiving a lecture in front of the entire class. He hated attention, and unfortunately his day had been full of it.

As he made he way outside of the school he was stopped by a group of kids he recognized as the 'rebels'.

"Jake,right?"

"Um, yes?"

"Follow us"

"Oh.. uh.. okay" Jake said hesitantly.

Jake followed the kids behind the school grounds, to their hangout. Their 'hangout' was a rotting oak tree with car seats placed under it. But it was comfortable, and they seemed to accept him. The kid who Jake assumed to be the leader of the group sat down first. He wore baggy jeans with chains hanging from them, a plaid shirt with the sleeves cut off, and a sleeveless grey hoodie over it. He had red hair, which he had spiked, and a ring through his lip, he was rather intimidating, but Jake felt like he was welcomed into the group. "The name's Rusty" said the red head "That's Blaise" he said pointing at the tall, shaggy black haired boy standing behind Jake. Blaise looked like as if he walked off the cover of a _Rolling Stone _magazine, with black eyeliner and combat boots, he easily stood at 5 ft 11. "And the short punk to my right," Rusty continued, gesturing to a skinny spikey haired blonde sitting next him, is Sid." Sid smirked, and even though he was the shortest, Jake felt that he was more menacing than the other two put together, but both he and Blaise knew their place, and they bowed to Rusty.

"We usually hang out until sun down" Rusty spoke up again.

"Oh i'm not so sure i should stay that late" Jake said.

"Come on, kid. It's no big deal. Unless you're afraid you'll get in trouble"

Blaise and Sid snickered at this. Blaise smiled a toothy grin at him as he layed down, and sprawled himself amongst the grass.

"It's not that. My parents are paranoid. They have so many kids, everytime one is gone for too long, they think they've lost them" he said. _Although if it was me, i'm not so sure they'd care _, he mentally added to himself.

"Atleast they care" Sid grunted.

"No, No they don't."

"Yeah, well, join the club" Rusty sighed as he took a flask out of one of the pockets of his hoodie. He flipped the lid and took a long drink, "Our club", he added handing the flask to Jake.

Jake knew he should refuse, he knew the right thing to do would be to just walk away from these trouble makers, but he was starting to feel like maybe these were the people he belonged with, if he belonged anywhere. He mentally weighed his options, and decided that there was no real harm that could come of it. In fact, it might do him some good to loosen up a bit, he thought. _What the hell_, he thought. Jake reached out and grabbed the flask, bringing it to his lips. As he gulped the shockingly strong, bitter spicy liquid, he correctly guessed the poison in question was Vodka. The intensity of the taste shocked him, but he liked the rush he got afterwards. He brought the cold metal head of the bottle to his mouth once more, tipping his head back and letting the alcohol slide down his throat.

"Save some for the rest of us" Blaise said. Not threatening or meanly, but like he was a part of the group. An equal.

"Sorry" Jake said, even though he knew he was lying.

Sid pulled a cigarette from the pack in his pants pocket,bring it to his lips, and lighting it, offering to the rest of them. Rusty and Blaise quickly took one, and once again Jake questioned himself. Or, atleast, he would have, had he not have been hazy from drinking, and pissed off from living. He took the cigarette and brought it to his mouth, Sid holding out the lighter to light it for him, he held back a cough. As he took a drag of the long skinny smoke in his hand, he noticed he liked this breaking the rules business, _alot_. The four of them stayed under the tree, drinking and smoking, until about 7 when the sun started to sink. Right as they were about to part Rusty stopped him.

"We're going to the park at Finley tonight. 1'o clock. Be there, okay?"

"You mean, sneak out?"

Rusty didn't answer him, instead breaking into a cheeky smirk. _Oh right, duh. _Jake thought.

"Yeah, i'll be there."

"Sweet. See ya" Rusty said patting him on the back.

As Jake staggered into his house, he was stopped by his sister Sarah.

"Where the heck have_ you _been?" she asked angrily.

"What's it to you?" Jake replied.

"MOM WAS WORRIED SICK JACOB!"

"Oh yeah, i'm sure she was heartbroken" he said sarcasticly "calm down, i'm a little late, thats _it_!" She might have believed him, if he hadnt tripped over his own feet precisely at that moment.

"Oh my god. That is certainly NOT it! Are you .. Jake! You're _drunk_!"

"No I'm not, not that it's any of your business." Jake sneered.

"Just because i've never been drunk, doesn't mean i don't know what it looks like" Sarah said. She had turned into quite the goody goody. Sure, she had gone through an adolescent phase of jokes and pranks, but nothing seriously troubling. Never alcohol. Never staying out late. And now that phase was over, leaving nothing but a tom boy with an uptight attitude. The sister that Jake was once close to, was now much more like a stranger.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?"

_An annoying stranger._

"Get out of my way, Sarah" Jake pushed by her and climbed the staircase, which seemed taller than it was this morning, and flopped into his bed. He wouldn't go to sleep. He couldn't if he was going to sneak out. How he was going to do this he had no idea, but he had to. He _wanted_ to.

**_Well there you go. There's the 6th chapter. Chapter 7 will be up soon. Reviews would be LOVELY. Much love._**


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